


You want a bad guy? I'll be your bad guy.

by Hamiltalian



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 14:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21076658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hamiltalian/pseuds/Hamiltalian
Summary: Logan is a light side, but Patton hears something else in his voice and tries to show him why the "dark sides" are "dark sides."





	You want a bad guy? I'll be your bad guy.

**Author's Note:**

> Quick warning for unsympathetic Patton! No physical harm done and no abuse, but he's definitely the bad guy.

Most people assumed that, of all four of the sides, Patton was the one who cooked all the time. Actually, it was usually Logan who did it. The way he could follow a recipe perfectly or, sometimes, add in elements from other recipes was fairly relaxing. 

But that wasn’t to say that Patton didn’t enjoy cooking, too. 

“You should take a break and let me cook tonight, Logan!” 

“But I always make dinner,” he argued. “You can make a dessert for us to enjoy after, if you’re insistent on making something.” 

“It’s not that. I just thought you deserved a break after what you did today.”

Logan furrowed his eyebrows and put down the knife he’d been chopping vegetables with. “And... What did I do today?..”

“Well, you made Remus go away! He’s clearly a serious threat to Thomas’s mental health and you handled him like he was nothing,” Patton explained with his usual smile. “I mean.. It wasn’t the way I’d think to do it, but he’s gone and that’s what matters.”

“Remus is no threat to Thomas’s mental health. It was like I said, his contributions have no effect on Thomas, as long as he doesn’t let them. Remus was just being himself.” 

“But.. You heard him. If he’s evil, then so is Thomas. He was admitting to being evil and trying to make Thomas evil!”

“No, Patton, he was trying to scare you and Virgil into letting him make a bigger effect on Thomas, to giving him the same power that Virgil used to have over him.” 

Patton took a step back, offended by what Logan was implying. “Virgil would never be like... Like him!” 

“Maybe not now. But we both know that he was one of them. Of course, I can’t blame him. With the way that things are set up in Thomas’s mind, there would’ve been no way for him to have any effect on Thomas through any other method and we know how important anxiety is in human function.”

“Logan... Virgil isn’t bad.. He was never bad..”

“I never said he was bad. I said he was doing his job the only way he knew would work. If you thought that what he did or what Remus did was bad, that’s your opinion. Good versus bad is always an opinion.” 

Patton crossed his arms, a worried expression on his face. “Logan.. You’re starting to sound like..”

“Like who?”

Patton looked around before continuing quietly. “You sound like one of them..” 

“Patton, we’re all a part of Thomas’s personality. It’s only natural that we’d share some values.” 

“But... They’re bad, Logan... They want to make Thomas bad, too..”

No. They wanted Thomas to stop seeing things so black and white, to stop chasing an image of perfection that would only bring him pain. But Patton couldn’t handle hearing that. At least, not yet.

“You know what, Patton... It has been a long day. Perhaps it is best if you take care of dinner.” 

“I’m sorry I had to say that, Logan, I just want to make sure you don’t turn out like-”

“I know who I am, Patton. While I value your opinion, it won’t change my personal perception. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I don’t have much of an appetite tonight.” He turned and walked out of the kitchen, grabbing a quick snack before going to his room for the rest of the night. 

Patton frowned as his friend left and it got him thinking for the rest of the night. Obviously, Logan wasn’t a bad guy. Sure, he was a little boring sometimes, but he wasn’t bad. And logic wasn’t a bad thing for Thomas to have, not at all. 

But... The way he was speaking... Logan needed to see for himself why Patton was so worried. 

Logan needed to remember who he was. 

The next morning, Logan woke up just as hungry as he’d expected to be, rolling his eyes a bit. Maybe he shouldn’t have just hidden in his room after everything that happened, but it was better to leave the situation than to get overwhelmed. And he supposed he was a bit too harsh with Patton. They simply didn’t see eye to eye, it was no reason for Logan to get frustrated with him. He should apologize.. 

Logan got up and stretched, grabbing his glasses before leaving his room. ... Or, at least, attempting to. He furrowed his eyebrows and turned his doorknob again before pulling it, unable to open it. 

“Dee, has that always been there?” Remus asked as he pointed at the glowing blue, rectangular outline of a door on their wall. “I’m pretty sure I would’ve noticed that.” 

Deceit came over and looked with him, furrowing his eyebrows. Ordinarily, he’d make a snappy remark about how he knew  _ exactly _ what Remus was talking about, but... Well, it did look familiar. He clearly remembered seeing a green outline just down the hall when the creativity split, when Remus appeared. More recently, he remembered the reverse happening to Virgil’s room. 

“Roman, this isn’t funny!” Logan called out, still struggling to get out of his room. 

“Roman?..” Remus asked himself, furrowing his eyebrows. “You don’t think it’s Virgil, do you?..”

“I.. I don’t think so... You saw him and Patton, there’s no way he’d send him back, Thomas’s approval or not.” 

“But that only leaves...”

Deceit nodded, watching as a doorknob appeared in the rectangle, briefly glowing blue before revealing the silver metal beneath. He watched as a doorframe appeared, around the outside of that glowing blue line, a clean coat of blue paint on it. 

“This is taking too long, maybe I should help him,” Remus said as he stepped forward, bracing a leg just outside of the doorframe before gripping the doorknob and pushing with all of his might. 

Finally, the blue light began fading into the door it left behind, Logan’s name written on it in a perfect, arial font.

“Wait, Remus, I don’t think-”

Deceit was interrupted by the door flying open, Logan shooting out and onto Remus, both sides being knocked to the ground. 

Logan groaned and looked up, squinting his eyes to see- “Remus?”

“Hey there, nerd-icorn,” Remus hummed, picking up Logan’s fallen glasses before putting them back where they belonged on his face. 

Logan scrambled to his feet and stepped back, looking all around. “Am I... Is this the other side?”

“How did you manage to get sent here?” Deceit asked, taking a few steps closer. “What, did you say something that made Thomas mildly uncomfortable? Disagreed with Patton? Did you imply that a single less-than-morally-elite deed wouldn’t make Thomas any less of a good person?” 

Logan shrugged, deciding against letting Deceit know he was right. 

It wasn’t technically a lie, but the way Logan answered easily let Deceit know that he was right. “We’re not here to antagonize you, you know. This isn’t purgatory, this is your new home...” Deceit crossed his arms. “Besides.. I see how they look at us. And I’ve been in your shoes, quite literally. You’re one of us, now. There’s nothing wrong with that and, no matter what they think, there’s nothing wrong with you.” He held out a gloved hand towards the other side. “Come on, Logan.. Let’s just get breakfast.” 

Logan was hesitant to respond. Obviously, he wasn’t particularly afraid of what the two would think of him, but he was essentially the one that got them to leave during all of their appearances. 

“We’re not mad at you for what you did. You were doing what you did as a light side. Now, we’re doing what we do as the others and trying to stick together.” 

Logan furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Deceit’s glove. 

“Not literally, Logan. We’re a team. We’re going to stay a team. We’re sticking together.”

“Oh, of course,” Logan said, making a mental note to write that one down later. But staying a team... It could be nice. Maybe he wouldn’t be the metaphorical last choice anymore. He took Deceit’s hand and followed them to the kitchen. 

“Now, what would you like for breakfast?”

“Actually.. I’d prefer to cook. Nothing against you, it’s just something I enjoy doing.” 

Deceit thought for a second before nodding. “If it’s just because you enjoy it, yes, go ahead. Just don’t feel like you have to.”

Logan nodded and went into the kitchen, looking around to see what he could make. He quickly settled on a simple eggs and bacon breakfast. Normally, Roman and Patton would be asking about having something sweeter, but he didn’t think that Deceit and Remus would mind as much. 

Once the food was ready, he called the two back over and sat to eat with them. “I wasn’t sure of what you’d like, so I kept it simple. I hope it’s alright with you two.”

“It’s perfectly fine,” Deceit hummed as he began eating. 

Remus nodded in agreement, already shoveling food into his mouth. 

“I’m glad to hear that,” Logan said, taking a quick pause to think before continuing. “So.. How do you two spend time here?.. I usually just stay on my own and read or something similar, but.. Well, I figure that if I’m going to be one of you now, I should at least attempt to fit in.” 

“I spend all of my time in my half of the creativity and, let me tell you, you would not want to go there,” Remus laughed before tearing into another piece of bacon. “We can watch some Disney movies, I can tell you everywhere that magic went wrong.”

“Yes, we’re not the most social group over here,” Deceit added. “We get along, but most days are spent on our own. With a new member, however, why don’t we do something that you want?”

Logan looked up at him, confused. “Something I want?.. Well... I’m not typically one to do much outside of reading, but I do enjoy watching Sherlock. It’s always fun trying to see what’s really going on.”

“Ooh! I feel the same way about suspense movies! Who’s going to die? How are they going to die? Who’s the real killer?” 

“Exactly..” Logan said, unable to hide a small smile. “I’ve never been one to particularly enjoy watching such movies, but I would like to try. Perhaps seeing it through that light instead of just as senseless violence will change my view.”

Remus beamed and ran to the living room, trying to pick the perfect movie. 

Logan smiled and grabbed Remus’s plate, getting up to clear the table. 

Deceit stopped him, placing a hand on his arm. “No, let me. You go pick out a movie with Remus, I’ll join you two in a minute.” 

“Well.. If you’re sure..” Logan hesitantly agreed. He’d almost forgotten that “dark sides” was a label that Roman made up, just as the rest had. Of course, he didn’t expect for the two to be completely evil, but they were being so nice... It was a more than pleasant surprise.

Logan happily sat down and watched the movie with Remus, Deceit joining them soon after. He definitely didn’t see them in a romantic light, but he felt closer to the two of them than he ever had the others, even in such a short time. 

Everyday, he grew closer to them and everyday, he became more and more pleased with the fact that Patton made the decision that he made. The others let him rant about philosophy and biology and all of the other nerdy things that were too boring for the rest of the sides. They chimed in with opinions and extra facts and they wouldn’t call Logan names because they knew it was like. Deceit was labeled a villain for being a liar and Remus was labeled one for having his own brand of creativity. And Logan was ridiculed for being smart. 

Naturally, he concluded that his next course of action should be to better fit in. 

“Because you totally need to change yourself in order to fit in around here,” Deceit remarked sarcastically, as soon as Logan brought it up. 

“You’re already one of us as you are, nerd-lock. What’s there to change that we haven’t already accepted?”

“Um..” Logan began slowly, adjusting his glasses. “Well, I thought it’d be nice if I could look the part. My outfit is a bit plain compared to yours and there’s no way that the rest of the sides would see that I’ve accepted this change unless I change to loo more like one of you. It’s something that I want to do.”

Remus grinned widely and grabbed Logan’s hand, yanking him to his feet. “Well, I am the local creative side, I’ll help you!”

“Thank you, Remus, that’s very kind of-” 

Remus yanked Logan off to his room before he could finish his sentence, Deceit following to make sure Remus wouldn’t do anything too traumatizing. 

Remus had Logan stand on a pedestal in front of a mirror and stood beside him, thinking for a second before snapping his fingers. 

In the blink of an eye, Logan was in a new outfit, makeup and all. 

Too-tight pants, a black blazer, a blue shirt under with too many buttons undone, pale foundation with navy blue lipstick. It really fit the dark side aesthetic, but... It wasn’t quite right. 

“I don’t know.. This just doesn’t feel like... Me. Sex appeal isn’t a trait that I’m interested and the makeup is a little too... I think gothic is the word.” 

Remus nodded and hummed in thought. “Well, I’m not putting you back in regular pants. Where’s the fun in that?” His smile widened a bit and he clapped his hands together in joy as an idea came to him. “How would you feel about skirts?”

Logan looked down, contemplating the idea. “No shorter than three inches above the knee. And that includes when I’m sitting.” 

“Say all of the boring things you want, I’ll work with that!” Remus snapped his fingers again and, like before, Logan’s outfit was completely changed. This time, it was a modest, navy blue pencil skirt, a long sleeved black button up, and his usual tie, the only makeup on his face now being simple black eyeliner. 

"How about that? A little different from your earlier stuff, but nothing too much." 

“Um.. Maybe somewhere between the two?.. I’m sorry, this is just-”

“No need to apologize, I’m here to help!” Remus interrupted, knowing that Logan was so apologetic from his time with the light sides. “Okay, somewhere in between..” He stared up at Logan, deep in thought. 

After a minute or so, he smacked his palm against his forehead. “Why didn’t I think of this before?! I’ve got it!” He snapped his fingers one last time, putting Logan in a new outfit. 

This time, Logan was in a blue and black marble patterned circle skirt with white suspenders over the shoulders of his black button up shirt, a bowtie with his old tie’s pattern around his neck. A few silver stars appeared on his right cheek and a line of blue eyeliner decorated his right eye, a clear metaphor showing that while he was logic, he still had passions of his own. 

“Oh..” Logan muttered as he looked at himself. “I actually really like this..” 

“A perfect mix of the Logic that you always were and the ‘dark side’ that you want to embrace!” Remus cheered, applauding his masterpiece. 

“Even I have to admit he did a good job here,” Deceit hummed, smiling as he watched his friends. 

Logan smiled and stepped down from the pedestal, glad that Remus left him in a simple pair of black ankle boots. “Thank you for this.. Both of you.. I-” Logan cut himself off with a wince, rubbing his temples. “What’s up, nerdi-corn?”

“Well.. Whenever Thomas is talking to the rest of the side and they are trying to convince him to do something that goes against, well... Me, I get these headaches.. I should check on them.”

“Alright.. I’ll change your clothes back, then.”

“No,” Logan quickly protested. “No, this is the me that I’ve become. I have no reason to hide.” 

“Because they totally won’t freak out when they see you,” Deceit remarked. “I’m sure they’ll be overjoyed that you’ve embraced being one of us down here.” Sure, Roman may very well be glad to see his friend happy, being Thomas’s fanciful side, but Patton and Virgil? And who knew how Thomas himself would react? 

Logan shrugged a bit. “Sure, I may have changed being here, but why should they get upset about me accepting this and being accepted here? If they didn’t want me to change, they would’ve done it first.” “They,” of course, mainly referring to Patton, the side who sent him there in the first place. “Now... How do I pop up there?” 

“It’ll be a nice thing to do, Thomas! You should at least consider it,” Patton said, with his usual, hopeful smile. 

Thomas shrugged, clearly a bit hesitant on whatever they were discussing. “I know.. It just seems like kind of a dumb idea.. This seems kind of like something Logan would like to weigh in on, I can’t believe he’s not here..” 

“I told you, Thomas.. He’s not really available right now..”

Thomas wasn’t sure whether or not he believed that. After all, he was quick to explain how Virgil feared rejection after his reveal and had locked himself up, yet, he stayed so vague on whatever was up with Logan. But... It was Patton. Patton didn’t lie. 

And he technically wasn’t lying. Logan was busy being with the dark sides. He’d tried to get Logan back over, but it wouldn’t work for some reason. He was a little worried for his friend, but hopefully the longer time was a sign that Logan was learning how to keep those dark sides from bothering Thomas. 

“Well, I for one think that Logan would be kind of against this..” Roman said, shrugging a bit. “I mean, I’m neutral on the matter, but without him here,” he did a 360 spin, glasses on his face as he turned back towards the group. “I’ll be what’s left of your logic!” 

Roman wasn’t the most logical character, but Thomas didn’t want to disappoint him. “Sounds great, buddy!” 

“Actually, I think I can do my own job just fine.” 

Thomas was startled a bit by the sudden voice, but smiled as he turned and saw Logan standing in his usual place, though he was a bit confused by the outfit he was in. “Hey, Logan. I was starting to think you were going to be gone the whole time.” 

Logan shrugged, his arms crossed like usual. “I got a feeling that something irresponsibly dumb was going to happen without me here and that simply could not be.”

“Well.. I wouldn’t say irresponsibly dumb,” Patton argued. “Thomas read online that a cat shelter needed volunteers or else it might have to shut down and-”

“And you suggested that he volunteered himself..” Logan concluded with a small sigh. He adjusted his glasses and looked back up. “Thomas, you are allergic to cats. I understand your wanting to help, but at the risk of your own health, would it truly be worth it?”

Patton spoke up, an adoring smile on his face. “I know, but it’s a good cause and they just had a bunch of kittens and people are bottle feeding them and-”

“I’m sorry.. Um.. I’m still stuck on Logan. Logan... Where were you? It’s not like you to just not be around.” 

Logan blinked, feeling a bit surprised, but he wasn’t really sure why. “They haven’t told you, have they?..”

“All they told me was that you were unavailable. It’s just not like you,” Thomas shrugged, unsure of how else to explain himself. “And then you’re in this new outfit.. Are you okay?”

“I would say I’m fine. You’re just not going to be able to summon me anymore.” 

“I.. What? But, why? You’re my logic, I need you..” 

Logan smiled sympathetically. If there was anyone who didn’t deserve to be affected by this, it was Thomas. “It’s okay, Thomas. I’ll still be here when you need me. I’m still a side. I’m just...” Logan was far from ashamed of his new status, but he wasn’t sure how Thomas would react. Still, he figured it was best to rip of the metaphorical bandage. “I’m one of the others now.” 

“One of the others?... A.. A dark side?..”

“One of the others, yes.” 

Thomas seemed about as confused as Logan expected, shaking his head. “But.. You’re not bad, Logan. You’re nothing but helpful..” 

“It’s not about whether or not we’re ‘helpful’ to you. Every side is helpful in his own way. It’s about whether or not our..” He didn’t want to say “moral” and put Patton on the spot. “Our personal philosophies.. Whether or not they match up. I believe that there is no reason that the others should be seen as good or bad because they do not aim to harm you. So.. I’m one of them now.”

“So..” Thomas seemed intrigued by the subject, a clear effect of Logan’s present. “You just woke up and you were one of them? But you had those ideas before, why weren’t you-”

“That’s not important.” Logan snapped. He didn’t want to act so harsh, but this disagreement was between him and Patton. He didn’t want to force Thomas to choose a side. 

Thomas furrowed his eyebrows. Logan wasn’t acting like himself. “Logan... Why are you only now one of the d.. One of the others?” 

But as much as Logan wanted to keep him out, he couldn’t just deny a clear question. “It’s one of a side’s powers. They decide whether or not a side gets to be a judge in your decisions.” 

And, as vague as he was, it didn’t take a genius to figure out which side controlled that. “Patton?..”

“I.. He was starting to sound a lot like them.. I just wanted to show him how he shouldn’t want to be one of them.. Virgil clearly hates them, I thought it’d take a week, at most.. I tried to bring him back, but..” But Patton failed his job.. 

“But I didn’t want to come back,” Logan corrected. “I got along with these sides, of course, but.. The others actually enjoy having me around. They haven’t complained about my nerdy habits and, in fact, they’ve embraced the parts of me that I’ve been repeatedly ridiculed for.”

Thomas looked at him sympathetically. “Logan.. I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you feel less than..”

Logan shook his head. “Don’t be. You haven’t done anything you should apologize for.” 

“It’s not the same without you, Logan,” Roman said with a small smile. “Are you sure you won’t at least consider coming back?..”

Without a thought, Logan shook his head again. “As I’ve said, I’m happy where I am. It’s not like I’ll be gone forever, I just can’t be summoned the same way. I’ve embraced my new home and the others have embraced me. I was happy here, but there.. It’s difficult to explain.” 

“I understand..” Thomas said with a small smile. “Besides, you guys are a part of me. If you aren’t happy, how can I be at my best?” 

Logan seemed pleasantly surprised at his quick acceptance, allowing himself to smile just a bit. “Thank you, Thomas.. It means a lot to hear that.. Now.. Back to the issue at hand.”

Once it was concluded that Thomas would simply make a post online about the cat shelter and stay at home himself, which didn’t take particularly long, now that Logan had returned, the logical side disappeared back down, appearing back in the other side. He took a deep breath and smiled. Things were great before, sure, but being there.. It felt perfect in a way that not even Logan himself could explain. 

“Have a good time out there?” Remus asked as he appeared, spotting Logan’s calm smile. 

“Yes..” he responded after a few seconds. “Yes, I did..” 

But Patton wasn’t feeling so great. Sure, he was glad that Thomas was happy and it was nice to see Logan happy, but... He was a dark side now. And Patton just wasn’t sure it was worth it.


End file.
